10 Most Important Weeks In The Monday Night War
2. 18th April 1998 - Raw Beats Nitro
In much the same way WCW's eventual 1996 dominance had laid dormant since January that year, WWE's own re-emergence seemed unstoppable from the moment Stone Cold Steve Austin thrust two middle fingers in the face of Mike Tyson the night after the Royal Rumble.
It took until April for the booking to be reflected in a historic ratings victory for WWE, but the relative ease with which they swept aside WCW in the aftermath highlighted just how carefully plotted and planned for the win had been.
Months earlier WWE had deftly channelled Austin's rage against the Hart Foundation into fury with all authority following his SummerSlam neck injury. It was an inspired pivot that got them to WrestleMania for his anointment as Champion against Shawn Michaels, but a surprise top heel in Vince McMahon seemed problematic when it came to booking matches for the new titleholder.
Or, as it transpired, the perfect opponent.
WWE could freely give away a version of the Austin/McMahon match (as they did on April 18th), then bottle it as 'The Rattlesnake' spent the next several months fighting every corporate-approved opponent before their inevitable January and February 1999 (pay-per-view) showdowns.